Oxford Online Dictionary Learns New Words: Selfie, Twerk, and Others

The Oxford English Dictionary's online edition learned a few new words today.

Added to the dictionary were "selfie," a photograph taken of oneself using a smartphone or tablet, and "twerk," a dance move recently sampled by Miley Cyrus and mocked by Jay-Z, among other recent celebrity endorsements and non-endorsements.

Other words added included "digital detox," a process involving abstaining from the internet to cleanse oneself of the burdens of modern technology, and "unlike" as a verb in a social media context. Another was "fomo," an acronym-turned-word which means a "fear of missing out."

The 150-year-old dictionary adds up to 1,000 new entries to its online version every year.

Knowlton Thomas

Knowlton is the managing editor of Techvibes.
Based in Vancouver, Knowlton has been published in national publications and has also appeared on television and radio.
Previously he was an editor for New Westminster weekly The Other Press and served on its board of directors.
When not working, Knowlton enjoys hiking, tennis, and martial arts.
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